Mail catcher and deliverer.



B. EVANS.

MAIL OATGHER AND DELIVE BER. APPLICATION FILED-SEPT. 26, 1911.

attouuq' COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH CU..WASHINGTON. n. C.

Patented Feb. 6, 1912.

3 SHEBTSSHEET 1.

B. EVANS.

MAIL OATGHBR AND DELIVERER.

. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 26, 1911. 1,01 1 9, V Patented Feb. 6, 1912.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2.

B;EVAN& MAQILIGATGHER AND DELIVBREB. APPLIQATIO'N FILED 8EPT.26, 1911.

1,016,819. Patented Feb. 6, 1912.

3 SHEETB-SHEET 3.

BENJAMIN EVANS, 0F BLUEFIELD, WEST VIRGINIA.

MAIL CATCHER AND DELIVEBER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 6, 1912.

Application filed September 26, 1911. Serial No. 651,352.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, BENJAMIN EVANS, a citizenof the United States, residing at Bluefield, in the county of Mercer andState of WVest Virginia, have invented new and useful Improvements inMail Catchers and Deliverers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to mail bag catchers and deliverers andone of theprincipal objects of the invention is to provide a simple and efficientdevice of this character whereby the mail may be delivered from a movingtrain to a roadside catcher and the mail from the roadside supportingframe may be caught by the train.

A further object of this invention is to provide a combined delivererand catcher wherein the supporting arms will be auto matically thrown tooperative position on the approach of a train and will be automaticallythrown to inoperative position after the mail sack has been removedtherefrom.

Further objects of this invention will appear as the following specificdescription is read in connection with the accompanying drawings, whichforms a part of this application, and in which Figure 1 is a sideelevation with the housing removed to more clearly show the parts andwith the bag holding arms shown in inoperative posit-ion in full linesand in operative position in dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a sectional view onthe line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a similar section on the line 3-3 ofFig. 1. Fig. 4 is a similar section on the line 44 of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 isa top plan view. Fig. 6 is a vertical section through the catcher. Fig.7 is a perspective view of the upper bag supporting frame. Fig. 8 is asimilar view of the lower bag supporting frame. Fig. 9 is a perspectiveview of the car catcher. Fig. 10 is a side elevation with parts insection and parts broken away. Fig. 11 is a similar view showing themodification. Fig. 12 is a detail elevation showing the modified form ofcatch.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, 1 represents a suitable baseor support upon which the housing frame 2 is carried. This frameconsists of four uprights connected together at the top by a bearingboss 3 which is centrally apertured to permit the passage of. anoperating shaft 4. This shaft is provided with a conical recess 5v inits lower end which is engaged by a cone point which extends across andconnects with opposite parts of the base or support 1. The shaft 4projects above the bearing in the form of a standard 8 whose sides areseparated throughout the length to receive a leaf spring 9 which ismounted upon the adjust-- able slide 10 intermediate its length. Thestandard is provided with laterally projecting ears 11 and 12 adjacentits lower and upper ends and pivoted between these ears ,are bagsupporting arms 13 and 14, each having spring operating fingers ormembers 15 and 16 which engage the ends of the spring. The finger 15 isprovided with a slot 17, while the finger 16 is provided with anaperture 18, and connecting the fingers is a link 19 which is providedwith eyes passing through the slot and aperture. The purpose of the slot17 will be more particularly pointed out hereinafter.

I bearing 6 carried by a horizontal brace 7 Keyed to the shaft 4 is acollar 20 upon Y which is loosely mounted a segment 21 having a beveledgear face 22 adapted to mesh with a similar gear face 23 upon a segment24 which is carried by an adjustable collar 25 and held upon the shaftby the bolts 26, the collar 25 being preferably in two parts so as topermit its ready removal. The segment 21 is provided with a laterallyprojecting arm 27 which is connected to a weight 28 by a flexible cableor chain 29 passing over a pulley 30 mounted upon a cross bar 31. Thiscross bar is secured to the frame 2 and is provided with a limiting stop32 which lies in the path of the arm 27 and limits the movement of thesegment 21 in one direction of movement.

The lower arm 13 has pivotally connected thereto a sliding rod 33 whichpasses through a channel 34' in the shaft 4 and has a slotted laterallyprojecting end 35 which is adapted to reciprocate in a slot 36 formed inthe shaft and communicating with the channel 34. This slotted end isengaged by a pin or arm 37 which projects laterally from one end of thesegment 24 so that when the lower arm is raised the segment 24 will beturned on its pivot and this segment meshing with the segment 21 willturn the same upon the shaft and raise the weight for' a'predeterminedpoint. In order to do this, a collar 38 is secured to the lower end ofthe shaft and is provided with a projecting arm'39 which is engaged by acatch 40 arranged at the end of a transverse shaft 41 which is journaledin bearings 42 carried upon a cross brace 43. The outer end of the shaftis provided with a crank 44 which is connected to a link 45, whoseopposite end is pivoted to a bell crank 46 pivoted in a bracket bearing47 at any suitable point from the shaft 4. This bell crank lever isoperated by an arm 48 pivoted upon a.

bracket 49 and throwing downwardly against the bell crank lever by meansof a roller 50 which is carried upon the train in some suitableposition. The catch 40 is normally held 1n engagement with the arm 39 bymeans of a spring 51. This spring in raising the catch into engagementwith the arm also elevates the bell crank lever and the free end of thearm 48. When the roller depresses the arm, the bell crank lever isturned upon its pivot and the catch withdrawn from the arm for a purposeto be hereinafter described.

Secured to the slide 10 are a pair of separated sleeves 52 in which areadjustably mounted arms 53 connected together by a brace 54. These armscarry the converging arms 55 and 56 which form a restrict1ve passage57,through which the lateral end 58 of a catcher member 59 is adapted topass. This catcher member is substantially the form of the ordinarycatchers now in use except that its upper end is divided or bifurcatedto form separated spring fingers 60 which are adapted to receive a mailsack 61, as shown in Fig. 5. Certain of the converging wires of theframes 55 and 56 are curled inwardly, as shown at 62, to prevent thesack from becoming disengaged from the frames when once placed thereinby the catching and delivering device .59. The inner end of thedevice 59is provided with a head 63 which is centrally apertured to receive asupporting bar 64 carried upon a 'mail car 65 and projecting from thehead vlower arm 13 is provided with an adjustable weight 68.

' The modified form of catch illustrated in -Fig. 12 shows the shaft 41provided with a weighted arm. 69 upon which the catch 70 1s formedadapted to engage the arm 39. In this instance, the spring 51 isdispensed with.

In the operation of the device, the arms 13 and 14 are moved tohorizontal position and the bag placed upon the'pivoted fingers at theend thereof. In raising the lower arm 13, the rod 33 is depressed andthe segment 24 turned upon the head 25. This action rotates the segments21 and raises the weight. The catch 40 being in engagement with the armprevents the rotation of the shaft under the action of the weight untilthe roller 50 is passed over the arm 48 at which time the catch will bedepressed and the weight will rotate the shaft and the standard 8 tooperative delivering position, the arm 27 coming to a stop against thestop 32 and the arm 39 engaging a stop 71 and thus preventing furtherrotation of the shaft. As the train approaches the catching anddelivering mechanism, the lateral end 58 passes through the frames 55and 56 and as the sack 61 is larger than the passage 57, the catchingdevice 58 will pass on through the frames leaving the sack therein. Thehook portion 72 of the catching device then engages the sack upon thearms 13 and 14 and, as this sack is released, the spring 9 will actagainst the fingers 15 and 16 to depress the lower arm and to raise theupper arm. The depression of the lower arm causes the rod 33 to beraised and consequently the segment 24 to be turned upon the head. Asthe segment 24 turns in engagement with the segment 21, the entire shaftwill be rotated by the action of the spring 9, it being understood thatthe segment 21 is prevented from rotation by reason of the fact that thestop 27 is in engagement with the stop 32. The slot 17 in the finger 15is provided so that after the arm 13 has been brought to horizontalposition, the arm 14 may be lowered considerably beyond the horizontalso as to accommodate the device for smaller bags, the link or connectingrod 19 rising in the slot 17 to accomplish this purpose.

What is claimed is 1. In combination, a rotating member, pivoted bagsupporting arms carried thereby, means held in operative position torotate said member in one direction when the bag is upon the arms, meansto hold said member against rotation, train controlled mechanism forreleasing said holding member, automatically actuated means forseparating the arms and reversely rotating the member when the bag isreleased from the arms, and a catching device carried by the member androtatable therewith.

2. In combination, a rotating member, pivoted bag supporting armscarried thereby, means held in operative position to r0- tate saidmember in one direction when the bag is upon the arms, means to holdsaid member against rotation, train controlled mechanism for releasingsaid holding member, automatically actuated means for separatmg the armsand reversely rotating the member when the bag is released from thearms, and a catching device adjustably mounted upon the member androtatable therewith.

3. In combination, a rotatably mounted shaft, pivoted bag supportingarms carried thereby, an operating connection between said arms, meansactuated by one of the arms which normally tends to rotate the shaftwhen a bag is in position upon the arms, means for holding said shaftagainst rotation, train operated mechanism for releasing said holdingmeans, means to limit the rotation of the shaft, means for separatingsaid arms, and reversibly rotating the shaft, and a catcher carried bythe shaft.

4C. In combination, a rotatably mounted shaft, pivoted bag thereby, anoperating connection between said arms, means actuated by one of thearms which normally tends to rotate the shaft when a bag is in positionupon the arms, means for holding said shaft against rotation, trainoperated mechanism for releasing said holding means, the rotation of theshaft, means for separating said arms, and reversibly rotating theshaft, a catcher carried by the shaft, and a car carried catcher anddeliverer to remove the sack from the arms to deliver the sack to thecatcher.

5. In combination, a rotating shaft, pivoted bag supporting arms carriedthereby, car controlled mechanism for moving the arms in a bag catchingposition, and means actuated upon the releasing of the bag returning thearms to normal position.

6. In combination, a pair of pivoted bag spread.

supporting arms carriedmeans to limit for catching arms, car controlledmechanism, set by a bag upon the arm for throwing the bag into operativeposition, a car carried catcher, means to normally spread said arms, andmeans actuated by one of the arms when the bag is released therefrom forreturning the arms to normal position as they are a pair of pivoted bagmeans for normally holding 7. In combination, catching arms,

them parallel to the line of travel, car controlled means set by a forthrowing the arms at right angles to the line of travel, and meansactuated when the bag is released to bag upon the arms simultaneouslyspread the arms and return them to normal position.

8. In comblnatlon, a rotatable member, a

pair of horizontally plvoted bag supporting arms, means for normallyholding said arms spread apart and parallel to the line of travel, meansset by a bag upon the arm for rotating the member, means to hold themember against rotation, car controlled means for releasing said holdingmeans and permitting said rotating means to act whereby the arms arethrown at right angles to the direction of travel, and means actuated bythe first-named means for resetting the device and returning the arms toa position parallel with the direction of travel.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

BENJAMIN EVANS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, I). G.

